Auslogics BoostSpeed

Auslogics BoostSpeed is a bundle of shareware software utilities for Microsoft Windows, which aims at speeding up the user's computer and improving overall computer performance.

Description
AusLogics BoostSpeed is a collection of tools to speed up, optimize and clean the user's computer, fix registry errors, boost Internet performance, remove clutter and defragment the disks and the registry. The program can also tune up the one-size-fits-all Windows settings to match a specific computer configuration, thus improving Internet speed, and reducing computer startup and shutdown time.

Features

 * Recovery of all file types from deleted partitions and formatted disks.
 * Scans and fixes hard disk errors.
 * Comprehensive disk explorer.
 * Fast and safe defragmentation of the disk drives and the registry.
 * Disk cleaner.
 * Fast and safe windows registry cleanup and fixing of structural defects.
 * Internet optimizer.
 * Tweak manager.
 * Track eraser.
 * Duplicate file finder.
 * File shredder.
 * Disk wiper.
 * Enhanced startup manager.
 * Uninstall manager.
 * Service manager.
 * Enhanced Windows task manager.
 * Detailed system information reports.
 * Rescue center.
 * Simple and intuitive user interface.
 * Extremely low system resources usage.

BoostSpeed Technology
Disk Cleanup

Disk cleanup is considered to be one of the most important aspects of computer maintenance, because Windows accumulates unnecessary temporary files and other clutter that severely affects computer performance.

Most Windows applications create temporary files for a variety of purposes, but mainly when a program can’t allocate enough memory for its tasks or when an application is working with data larger than the architecture's address space. This is usually the case with programs that work with large amounts of data and need to create temporary files in addition to using virtual memory. Temporary files are also used as a basic form of inter-process communication and applications like MS Office create temporary files for data integrity purposes.

Ideally, temp files should be deleted automatically when the applications close. However, poorly written programs, improper shutdowns, and application freeze-ups leave temp files behind, creating gigabytes of system clutter.

Another type of temporary files is Temporary Internet Files that are created by the browser and are often kept for a lot longer than necessary.

According to Forrester's research report "Consumer Behavior Online: A 2009 Deep Dive", Americans spent 12 hours online per week on average. This means that an average American's PC accumulated approximately 538 MB of Temporary Internet Files within a month.

There are three main ways how system clutter degrades computer performance:


 * 1) Critical Windows indexes become bloated with useless files, which results in dramatic file and application access slow-downs.
 * 2) Defragmentation and other scheduled tasks require more time and processing power due to the inclusion of useless files.
 * 3) System clutter reserves hard drive space, leading to lack of free space, occasional shutdown and download problems, as well as premature upgrade costs.

Auslogics Disk Cleaner speeds up computer performance by removing over 70 different types of unneeded files, including files in categories that are often overlooked.

Disk Defragmentation & Optimization

Disk fragmentation is a phenomenon that usually occurs either when Windows fills fragmented empty space with a newly created file and splits a file to fit the bits of free space, or when a file grows and requires more space. This is how free space fragmentation eventually causes file fragmentation.

When Windows needs to access a fragmented file, the hard drive read/write heads move all over the drive in order to collect all the fragments of the file. This results in greatly reduced performance and speed.

File placement can affect hard drive performance as much as fragmentation, if not more. Because the outer tracks of a hard drive are a lot faster than the inner tracks, it’s best to place frequently accessed data, such as system files, to the faster tracks and ensure that they are not randomly scattered around the hard drive.

Auslogics Disk Defrag uses advanced defragmentation and file placement technology to defragment both files and free space, as well as intelligently re-arrange Windows files to ensure the most efficient file placement.

Auslogics Disk Defrag uses unique low-level MFT analysis functionality that allows to minimize the time needed to analyze the NTFS volume data. In addition to that, Disk Defrag applies intellectual algorithms when moving files and freeing up space, which greatly reduces the time needed to defragment and optimize a hard disk. Despite being fast, Auslogics Disk Defrag doesn’t require a lot of system resources thanks to multithreading and automatic resource usage adjustment.

Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) support is another advanced Disk Defrag feature. The program uses a special defragmentation mechanism that is optimized for volumes with enabled VSS. This mechanism allows to minimize the risk of overwriting older VSS copies.

Auslogics Disk Defrag uses the standard Microsoft Defragmentation API, which guarantees that files are moved in a safe way and eliminates the risk of data loss during defragmentation.

Registry Defragmentation

The registry is the core database of the Windows operating system. It stores and manages settings for all hardware, operating system software, all other applications, and user settings. The registry is altered every time software is installed or uninstalled, as well as when settings are being configured. These constant changes cause the registry to grow in size and deleting entries inevitably leads to registry fragmentation. As a result the registry loses its linear structure, which leads to increased registry access and application response time.

Registry defragmentation is a process that allows to restructure the registry, eliminate empty spaces, and make it as compact as possible. This helps to improve overall computer performance by speeding up registry access and application response time, as well as reduce the amount of RAM taken up by the registry.

Auslogics BoostSpeed defragments the registry on Windows boot before the GUI and most programs are loaded. This allows to increase the accuracy of registry defragmentation, significantly reduce the size of registry hives, and thus speed up registry access. In addition to that, on-boot registry defragmentation minimizes the danger of damaging any registry keys and crashing the system.

Another important aspect of the tool is that it doesn’t lock the computer during the analysis phase. This improves the usability of the program and makes registry fragmentation analysis as unintrusive as possible.

Internet Optimization

When it comes to Internet connection settings, most Windows-based computers use general presets that are not optimized for any particular connection type. This means that a lot of computer users’ actual download/upload speed is significantly lower than the one offered by their ISPs.

When optimizing Internet connection, Auslogics BoostSpeed follows three main principles: improving connection reliability, reducing the amount of service data, and increasing data transfer speed. It ensures uninterrupted data transfer without the need to reconnect and allows the maximum number of data packet re-sends in case of data packet damage. Reducing the amount of service data that is required for the TCP/IP protocol to function, such as DNS requests and APR, TCP/IP headers, etc., helps to subjectively improve Internet connection speed due to the increased capacity to transmit user-requested data.

MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit Size), RWIN (TCP Receive Window), and TTL (Time to Live for TCP/IP Packets) are the settings that have the most influence on Internet connection speed and reliability. Other settings are also important, but their values depend on these three core settings.

Setting the maximum possible MTU value allows to speed up Internet connection by reducing the amount of service data. Auslogics BoostSpeed uses actual data packet transfers to determine the optimal MTU value and selects the maximum value that resulted in successful data transfer (without data fragmentation). A special size detection algorithm is used to minimize the amount of Internet traffic required for optimization.

RWIN is calculated based on the optimal MTU value, connection latency, which is tested by calculating the time needed to send a data packet and receive a response, and user-selected connection speed. Setting the optimal RWIN value allows to minimized the amount of service data, as well as reduce the amount of packet re-sends.

The optimal TTL is also calculated based on sending data packets with different TTL values. Optimizing TTL allows to minimize connection interruptions.

Using these techniques makes it possible to achieve a significant increase in download speed, as well as reduce page rendering time.

File Recovery

Deleting important files by accident is a common enough mistake. Fortunately, it is possible to recover deleted files. Typically, files deleted by user, lost because of a hardware failure or a virus attack are not completely erased immediately.

Before a file is completely re-written, the operating system removes its reference from the directory structure and marks the space occupied by the file as free. Similarly, when a hard drive crash or a system failure occurs, or even when the drive is formatted, the files are still recoverable. This is possible because usually only the indexes Windows uses to locate files become damaged, but not the files themselves.

Auslogics BoostSpeed ensures highly effective and user-friendly file recovery. It is capable of finding deleted files on physical drives, logical disks, removable media, ISO files, and partitions damaged by system or software failure. Additionally, the program uses an advanced deep scan algorithm that detects files created in popular formats even if their indexes have been completely re-written or destroyed and the files themselves are fragmented.

Thanks to its filtering ability, Auslogics BoostSpeed makes finding the required files among thousands of similar files quick and easy. There is an option to preview images, videos, and documents, which helps to assess their state and recoverability.

In addition to all its file recovery options, the software also has an option that allows to thoroughly erase all traces of confidential information on a user’s computer.

CNET's Download.com gave the software a five out of five star rating, saying that "BoostSpeed is an effective all-encompassing utility suite, combining some of Auslogics' popular freeware titles such as Auslogics Disk Defrag and Auslogics Registry Defrag with services that they don't offer elsewhere. No doubt, BoostSpeed gives you your money's worth."

Reviewing the application, PC World (magazine) notes that "as with any optimizer, you'll need to check carefully that the program actually boosts your speed, rather than decreases it. All in all, though, you'll find this a very good tool for overall system speedup."

Softwarecrew.co.uk gave the software a five out of five star rating, saying that "Think of the best PC speedup suite you've tried. And then add more. More tools. More features. More depth, more extras, and more thought behind everything. That'll give you some idea of what to expect from this excellent program..."

Reviewing the application, Software.informer.com notes that BoostSpeed is an "all in one performance tool for your PC that is very easy to use."

Freedownloadscenter.com gave the software a five out of five star rating, saying that "Auslogics BoostSpeed will give you the ideal solution to keep your computer running smooth and fast."

Brothersoft.com gave BoostSpeed an Editor's Choice award, advising the reader to "Speed up your slow computer and Internet with this Editor's Choice software."

Reviewing the application, Supershareware.com notes that "Auslogics Boost Speed is a worthy alternative to constantly having to upgrade your computer. Even if your computer is relatively new, the program will keep it running fast and error-free for a long time."